Archives for March 2010

I tend to reuse my screens multiple times over for my prints and sometimes the images start to deteriorate as some of the photo emulsion starts to erode and wash off. There is a really simple solution to touch up these images: screen filler

I use a small detailed paint brush to apply screen filler into the areas where the emulsion has started to disappear to clean up my image:

Another problem I run into: the glass I use to create my prints is slightly smaller than some of my larger screens so a small amount of light is diffused leaving a faint line in the final image:

When this happens I just use screen filler to touch up the image:

You can also use screen filler to free hand a design onto a screen. You would apply it anywhere you don’t want ink to pass through. Happy printing!

Check out the adorable Izzy modeling my new Lil Blue Boo lady bug silk screens (and racer back style!) New one-of-a-kind upcycled knit dresses to start showing up daily in my Etsy shop using these ladybug and citrus prints until I run out (check the LBB Facebook page for listings)! Thank you Olivia for the breathtaking photos!

I FINALLY finished it: Sienna’s book that we make every year for ourselves and her grandparents. This year I was waiting on the photos from my sister’s wedding so I just gave my parents and in-laws an IOU at Christmas….and then time got away from me…..but it is finished, bound and off to the printer. I added a few ideas from the 2008 book so I love this one even more than the last two…..here are some excerpted pages below. Maybe it will give spark some ideas (and I’m always welcoming new ideas for next year’s book!)

Note: All I used was the Mac iPhoto program. For example, each copy of the 65 page book ran me about $70 each. The quality is AMAZING and looks like an expensive coffee table book with the nice dust cover.

The cover: I love how vibrant and professional the Mac books turn out.

Little snippets of milestones: Many pages of these throughout….just thoughts I jotted down throughout the year that I wanted to remember.

A birthday photo: Some photos just deserve an entire page to themself.

Since I am a painter I just can’t get enough of photos of Boo painting…..

…..obviously.

More milestones:

Photo compilation: Sometimes a group of photos says much more than words.

I submitted Sienna’s artwork last year to What my Kid’s Art Says and used the hilarious reviews on the opposite pages of her scanned artwork.

The review:

The artwork:

The review:

The artwork:

Stories to accompany pages of photos:

Learning to swim:

Teaching to swim:

A summer activity:

Again, sometimes the photos say everything….she is my mini-me:

Just some cute athletic photos:

Scanned artwork:

Some firsts:

A favorite photo:

A classic shot of Diesel:

The November wedding:

I let Sienna have the camera one day and this was the result. Very artistic!

If you don’t have a Mac you can download software products such as My Publisher or Kodak Gallery to make a similar photo book. There are so many different things you can do with these programs. Here are just a few ideas….please share more if you have them!

I’ve been working on some spring silk screens for my clothing store. I put the question out there on Facebook and the overwhelming requests were citrus and ladybugs! So I did both. Here are some sneak peeks from a citrus photo shoot my friend Lisa and I did this morning at the park! Lady bug photo shoot to come soon! The “orange fairy” came just in time for some photo props too!

Here is how the dresses looked on the hanger:

Have I mentioned that EVERY little last scrap of t-shirts and knits gets upcycled?! Lil Blue Boo is trying to go to ZERO waste. Pieces that are too small for dress sleeves I send to my friend Shari for use in her adorable Soren Lorensen Design creations. Pieces that are too small for her? Those go to my friend Lisa of Ellebows and More for her new line of upcycled hair pieces to match my Lil Blue Boo dresses! They are so cute I can’t stand it….she leaves pieces of the seams, stitching etc. Each one is limited and unique! She’ll be adding more mis-matched pieces as she gets dress scraps…..so if you are looking for pieces to match your dresses there will probably be a delay before they show up in her shop. OR send her photos of your LBB dresses and see if she has some coordinating scraps to match a few of them! More products to come as well!

There have been a few recent improvements to LBB dresses too…..a more refined neckline and a hidden seam at the neck for those kiddos that might have sensory issues like my little one!

Step 7: To prevent too much bleeding with your design set up a small rack (like the kind used for cabinet shelving or locker storage) over a tub or bucket:

Step 8: Apply a generous amount of dye along the three edges secured by the clothes pins (which are the “legs” and center of your peace sign)…..

…..and to the rubber band marking the outer circle of your peace sign:

In this example, I’ve dyed the outer circle and legs of the peace sign Kelly Green:

Step 9: Using contrasting dye colors fill in the other areas of the shirt:

Step 10: Place the shirt in a plastic bag and leave overnight for the colors to set!

Step 11: The next day remove the fabric from the bag and while still tied rinse off the excess dye using cold running water and then run through your washing machine. Dharma recommends the final wash with HOT water and Synthrapol or something similar so that the garment will never bleed on anything.

I always love seeing where people work. It always gives a little more insight into their personality I think. After a little organization I took some updated photos of where I work everyday. Below is my smaller studio where I do small sewing projects and painting. All my non-knit fabric is stored on one side of the studio with my sewing machine. My large easel has a painting that will probably never be finished!

My second studio is a casita (guest house) outside but while Boo is young I’ve moved into our dining room so I can work and play with her at the same time. As you walk in our house, you see through a niche cutout (past the golf weather vane I took from my childhood home), my larger sewing studio/dining room:

Here is where I sew Lil Blue Boo dresses. From my chair I can see up into the living room and keep tabs on Boo!

A large rack of yummy finished dresses:

I have a dining room table and a conference room table I borrowed from my husband’s office. One is the sewing/cutting table…..the other is a shipping area. I can’t wait to reclaim my dining room at the end of this summer!

A big box of thread:

Bins of scrap knits too small to fold (every once in a while I sort them by color….but it doesn’t last long):

You would think since I make children’s clothing I could have come up with a more festive outfit. We struggled this morning to find anything GREEN that was CLEAN! At least she’s got some cool new shoes on and a fun hat!

Want vibrant color? Use Procion Dye. It’s what the pros use (and those of us that are pro “wannabes”). Look how yummy:

First, you’ll want to prepare a mixture of soda ash and water to soak your fabric in. I like to do this before I tie my fabric so the dye bleeds just a little….but you can also soak it after your fabric is tied. Here is what the soda ash looks like:

Basically you add 1 cup of soda ash per gallon of warm water. Make sure to wear gloves though…..this stuff can dry out and redden your hands (I know from experience).

Soak your fabric until wet and then wring out:

I like to use string to tie my fabric. I like the effect I end up with as the dye bleeds into the string:

Below is what the Procion Dyes look like. Measuring them is SUPER simple because they are coded with asterisks (*). You just mix 8 oz of warm water to the following amount of dye:Colors with no * need 2 teaspoons of dye.Colors with one * need 4 teaspoons of dye.Colors with two * need 8 teaspoons of dye.

In this example, I was using Hot Pink (which had no * on the title) so I just added 2 teaspoons of dye……

Wrap up the dyed fabric in plastic sheeting or a plastic bag to keep the dye and fabric wet. I let mine sit overnight for 24 hours.

The next day I remove the fabric from the bag and while still tied rinse off the excess dye using cold running water. Then I untie, rinse out again and put it through the wash on cold. I try to keep the dyes similar in the first wash to preserve color too (i.e. one load of pinks, one load of blues). They won’t fade after that!

Note: Dharma recommends the final wash with HOT water and Synthrapol or something similar so that the garment will never bleed on anything.

Note: There are many other variations and dye formulas you can use to perfect your technique. I recommend the Dharma Trading catalog which is more like a manual for dyeing!

Two recent custom dress orders I did using Procion:

A birthday dress with a screen printed “3” and a dyed skirt. The customer sent me the bling to applique on the skirt.

We started with 154 amazing entries in the Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Design Challenge! The judges (Shari, Dana, Disney, Candace and Rae) narrowed the entries down to 15 finalists. After a week long vote, with 3,855 people voting, I finally get to announce the winners! Congratulations to Shannon, Vanessa and Sarah! Thanks to everyone who entered the contest! I can’t wait for the next challenge!

First Place (884 votes):Kung Hee Fat Choy (Happy New Year) TopMade by: Shannon from Happy TomodachiShannon used red and gold t-shirts: red-good luck, gold-wealth and happiness. She stenciled the character for “Double Happiness” at the top using freezer paper and Jacquard Neopaque fabric paint and added some 3-D gold glitter paint for some subtle “zing.” She appliqued the flowers using fabric from the original t-shirts and fusible webbing and dusted the flowers with glitter paint for sparkle. She then used hems from the original t-shirts to trim the sleeves and bottom hem of the new top.Pattern: Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress

Second Place (746 votes):Spring Fever DressMade by: Vanessa from Punkin PatternsVanessa used three different plain fabrics in a dark pink, light pink and green. The appliqued flowers came from a really beautiful border fabric. The applique goes all the way around the dress and the pockets hide where the applique pieces meet giving the fabric the illusion from far away that it is one piece of fabric.Pattern: The Paper Doll Dress

Third Place (668 votes):Chicken Nuggets DressMade by: Sarah Boyd from 2 Giggle BoxesThe dress was inspired not from chicken nuggets…… but from four pet goldfish that Sarah’s daughter chose to name “chicken nuggets.” Sarah created the fishbowl on the top of the dress using lightweight vinyl PVC. The underwater world was created using applique and fabric painting. The bottom of the dress features imported Japanese fabric sewn into a bubble style.Pattern: Recycled T-Shirt Halter/Tie-Back Dress

We have an “orange” fairy: the elderly man who lives behind us and throws bags of oranges over the fence. Boo thinks that someone is “throwing their oranges away in our yard.” Small gesture…..but it took thought and time to pick the oranges, bag them up and toss them over the fence. It made me think: here is our neighbor…….that we’ve NEVER met…….and he is throwing gifts over the fence. No one does things like that anymore!

So we took some girl scout cookies (the only ones left after I got to them)….and Boo painted a picture……

…..and we wrapped them up into a present and took a walk yesterday to give them to him. He looked exactly like Mr. Fredrickson from the movie UP.…..hearing aids and everything….no idea how he gets those oranges over the tall fence, but he tossed another bag over to us today!